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  Newsletters > July 07

Chapman Engineering
July 2007 Newsletter

Storm-Water Permits for Petroleum Bulk Plants

TCEQ has checked several of our client’s bulk plants, related to storm-water rules. A bulk plant owner/operator has three options under these rules. Number one: it can be registered under the “multisector industrial storm-water general permit.” Number two: it can be registered under the storm-water permit for petroleum bulk stations. Or, number three, and what we recommend whenever possible, it can avoid registering by NEVER discharging storm water that might be petroleum-affected.

U. S. EPA will implement the SPCC rule changes in October of this year. One of the most important changes in these rules is that secondary containment must be put in place around bulk dispensing racks and other product transfer areas. This means you have to detain rain water that comes into contact with those product transfer areas, just as you already do with the tank batteries. If you detain storm water from these containment areas and let it evaporate, then the facility is not discharging any water that might be contaminated by petroleum.

Why go “no discharge?” One reason: it’s far less expensive over time to operate! If you register under a storm-water permit, then you have to sample and analyze detained water, and show it’s clean, before you can discharge it. Imagine how many rainfalls you get over time, and how many sampling events this leads to. And you must document how much water you release, keeping good records, of course. And if the water sample comes back “hot,” you hire a vacuum truck service to get rid of the contaminated water – costly, too.

Cathodic Protection Testing

As a reminder, EPA and TCEQ rules require cathodic protection system testing once every three years. We recommend annual testing, especially if you’ve had construction on site that may have damaged wires or other equipment. Your pollution liability insurance company will want copies of test results to renew your insurance, too.

Thanks as always for your business, and call us with any questions or comments at 800-375-7747. Do you want to refer us to a friend?